Past Regrets
by PKOLFoster
Summary: Sequel to Like Father, Like Son: Crichton must finally come to terms with the past when his son and Kevin are captured by the enemy: VERY AU


  
Past Regrets  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own any of the original Farscape characters, but I DO own those that are obviuosly made up, but I really don't care if you use them or not. Please don't sue, all I got is my collection of FS action figures and about $3.50 in change I found in the couch.  
  
Ratinging: PG-13  
  
Summary: Sequel to Like Father, Like Son: Crichton must finally come to terms with the past when his son and Kevin are captured by the enemy: VERY AU  
  
Category: Drama/SciFi/Action Adventure/Alternative Universe  
  
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"Damnit Aeryn, I told you to pull back!!", Crichton yelled in his headset. He couldn't believe she was trying this, the stunt was insane. "It will never work, pull back now before you get yourself killed!!" He watched the monitor in front of him and saw the small image of her prowler pull even farther away from their position. 'Damn you Aeryn, why can you never listen to reason?!' He called after her again, but she still would not respond. This was frustrating, how long would she just wait out there like a sitting duck until one of the fighters blew her away?   
  
She had hopped into her ship the moment she heard Zak had went after Scorpius himself.   
He tried to stop her, but she would not listen to reason. He recalled she mentioned something about Eizak being to foolhardy...like his father. John tried to convince her that putting herself in danger wouldn't guarantee a safe return of the squadron, but she again ignored him and took off. He had started towards his own craft to follow when he was called to command about another situation. All it had been was a small explosion in Talyn's lower tiers, easily taken care of by a couple of good techs. By the time he had reached the bridge, it was too late. He heard the communications officer mention Aeryn was already in the middle of the conflict and fighting with the others to regain control of the territory. All he could do now is watch and hope they all returned safely... That was before he noticed the large ship trailing his sons craft.   
  
Aeryn had saw it also, and immediately followed it in pursuit. She had made a couple missed shots, but enough to get the attention of the Peacekeeper pilot. Crichton watched helplessly as they played cat and mouse in space, the larger more powerful vessel closing in on Aeryn by the microt.  
  
Then he heard a loud explosion over the headset followed by something that made his world stop. He heard nothing....not even the sound of her breathing anymore. He shook his head and checked the monitor. The image of her ship had vanished. John sat back down and began reading the data Talyn had just received. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be... He looked back up onto the now blank screen and shouted her name once more into the communicator. There was no answer...   
  
*  
  
Captain John Crichton bolted awake in his bed, a thin line of sweat covering his body. He closed his eyes and tried to relax his breathing, recalling the dream for a brief moment. It had been almost two cycles now, and the damn nightmare still haunted his rest every night.   
  
"Lights...," he muttered and swung his legs over the bed. The lights slowly faded back on and he grabbed his wrinkled uniform from the floor. He knew instinctively what time it was. The "day" crew wouldn't even be up for a few arns, meaning he still had time to take his now ritualistic "morning" walk around the ships corridors before having to report to the command.   
  
Crichton walked slowly through the long walkways, allowing his thoughts to wonder. Things had changed so much since the day this ship was born. The original crew of Moya had all but completely drifted apart, each one of them either finding their way home or another thing to search for. It didn't really matter anymore why, but John had to admit he missed those old days. Running from the Peacekeepers, discovering new allies as well as enemies; it might have been hell at the time, but he actually found himself yearning to have those days back. D'Argo was now halfway across the galaxy, fighting the same war but with his own people.   
  
Rygel and Chiana were two totally different matters. The domineer had eventually gotten his throne back (thanks to the efforts of the E.U.D.F. as well as a great percentage of the Luxan forces) and in return, all they received is a rationed about of supplies for their efforts against the Peacekeepers. 'Guess you can't expect a slime ball like Sparky to ever change...' John mused. A small grin spread over his face at the though of the kinds of trouble the weasel used to get himself into. 'The good ol' days...'   
  
Now as for Pip, she had disappeared not long after John and Aeryn had returned from Earth. He remembered her mentioning some "old debts" then taking off in one of Moyas transport pods along with everything of value Rygel had stashed away. Last John heard she had gotten into trouble on a small Sebacean colony about six cycles before, but she managed to escape any punishment which didn't surprise Crichton in the least.  
  
He paused for a moment, stopping outside Zhaans quarters. He couldn't hear anything inside, but he could sense she was awake. 'Probably meditating...' He couldn't explain it, but ever since their minds melded so many cycles ago, he could sense strange things about her. That was probably why he found her the easiest the confide in now, from everything from when he discovered how he felt about Aeryn, to the attacks on Earth, to the day he lost his wife...   
  
He shut the memories out, not wanting to recall any of it. It was in the past, he had to learn to move on with his life 'Or so Zhaan says...' He shook his head clear and continued his walk through the ships corridors. He began to head to command when a noise from the work out area caught his attention as he passed by. No one was usually up earlier except for himself and maybe a few remained members of the past shift. John paused briefly and looked through the small window on the door of the room.   
  
Inside, Eizak was working furiously at beating the workout dummy down. John could tell by the sweat already covering his body he had been at it for a while. Curious, he stepped inside and watched his son for a few microts before being noticed.  
  
**  
  
Zak had heard someone enter, but didn't bother stopping. He had too much on his mind to care. The recent events of his trip through time were still fresh in his mind along with old memories and emotions he had thought long since buried. Seeing Aeryn Sun again, seeing his mother, had hit him harder than he ever could have imagined. He had never realized how much she really did remind him of himself. He finally realized how she had never allowed him or his sister to see the rough, battle scarred soldier inside her.   
  
He hit the dummy again, sending it flying away from him before snapping back into place. He needed to let his aggression out, it was the only way he knew how to clear his mind.   
  
"Whoa, take it a little easy their kid..." Zak stopped, letting his body rest a little, but not turning to face the new comer. He could identify that voice half a solar system away. The young man grinned and caught his breath before answering.  
  
"Aw, I was just warming up."  
  
"Riiight", John walked over to his son. "I was actually referring to you destroying the dummy. Do you know how long it would take us to get another one in this part of the universe?"  
  
Zak shook his head and turned to face his father. "Always to funny guy eh Pop?"  
  
"I can't help it if I'm naturally good humored", Johns grin slowly faded. "Seriously though, mind if I ask what you're doing here so early?"   
  
"I could ask you the same thing, you need more sleep that I so Old Man", Zak walked over to the end of the mat, picking up his towel.  
  
"Old Man huh? We'll see about that, I--", John stopped suddenly when Zhaans voice spoke into his communicator.  
  
"John, may I have a brief word with you?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, I'll be right there", he switched it off and eyed his son with a playful gleam in his eye. "_You_ got luck there kid..." He turned and walked out, leaving Zak to go back to his morning routine.  
  
***  
  
Zhaan had sensed John when he had stopped at her door earlier. It disturbed her the way he seemed to be hiding his emotions lately, and though she didn't know his specific thoughts, the priestess knew he was thinking about Aeryn. She remembered his initial reaction to her death two cycles before. John had went into a withdrawal, shutting himself of from everything and everyone around him, even his own children. Zhaan had tried to comfort him, but he had told her to "back off" and leave him be. She did as he requested at first, believing that it may just be some sort of human grieving ritual. But then she found him in his room one night, a blast mark singing the side of his head and his weapon still clutched in his hand. She realized then how far things had gotten and just how devastating things could become if he didn't at least start to get over Aeryns death.  
  
And so, she had counseled him as best she could. She offered to listen to his sorrows and suggested ways for him to deal with what had happened. But despite her efforts, nothing she could say or do could stop the nightmares he had every night. John had once explained to her exactly what went on and when he would wake up. She had heard of such reoccurring dreams before, but none that had ever lasted this long. Zhaan just hoped talking to John this morning might "cheer him up" and allow him to keep his mind on his duties and off of the past.  
  
"You rang?" John asked, stepping into her quarters. Zhaan looked up at him with a puzzled expression on her face.   
  
"It's another Earth term....don't ask."  
  
She shook her head and sighed. "No matter how many cycles I know you John Crichton, I will never understand these "terms" of yours..."  
  
He smiled and walked over to sit down on the seat beside her bed. "Just one of my charms. So, why did you want to talk to me?"  
  
"I sensed you come by earlier John. You had you..."nightmare" again didn't you?"  
  
She saw his expressed change drastically and he looked down and answer quietly. "Damn, you are good at this sensing stuff aren't you?"  
  
"John, I understand you feel a great loss. And I know the recent trip into the past might have brought up some of your old memories and feelings--"  
  
He shook his head. He had heard this same speech now dozens of times, and he didn't need her to repeat it to him once again. "No, Zhaan it's not...what I mean to say is, I don't think I will ever get over this", he held up a hand. "Wait, before you stop me let me finish. Sometimes, humans can take years to get over such a big loss. Some never get over it at all. Take my father, when Mom died he fell apart the same way I did. He never got over it. I think it's just about time we stop fooling around about it and face facts."  
  
"Aeryn would not want you dwelling on what happened. She died a proud death, there is nothing--"  
  
"Look Zhaan, Aeryn isn't here now all right!" He stood up, his anger starting to take hold. "She was blown apart by Scorpy, and I swear that bastard will pay! That's all there is to say about it!" He didn't take time to listen to her reaction, instead storming out of the room on his way to command. Zhaan looked after him sadly, her worse fears had come to pass. John Crichton had become the hunter.  
  
****  
  
"DAMN!", Kevin Parker cursed and quickly pulled back his hand from the sparking wires in front of him, then stared at them blankly for a moment as he tryed to figure out what to do next,. "I ain't no damn scientist", he muttered to himself and grabbed a tool from his utility belt. "How the hell do I get myself into these messes?" The young man squinted and took a closer look at the damaged wire, trying to assess where to start the repairs. He had never been good at science in general, even if he _was_ the son of two of Earth's best minds. Kevin had always felt inferior in a way because of it, like he had failed his family in some way. Though he had tried to make up for his lack of brains in his physical attributes and wit, he still felt something was missing. Most of the time, he managed to hide his emotions and true insecurity under a mask of jokes and strength, but those defenses didn't seem to work in situations like these.   
  
Kevin finally decided to try again and carefully touched the end of his tool to the wire. He jumped back as another spark flew at him. "Aw, screw this!"  
  
"What was that?" The young man almost winced when he heard her voice come from behind him. He didn't have to see her to know she was watching him like a scientist watches a germ. It was the same look she always gave him every time he screwed up 'Just my luck. She just _gotta_ show up the microt I blow it. Why the hell is the universe so cruel?' He heard her footsteps get closer and could feel his companion as she stopped behind him and glanced over his shoulder at the damaged system.   
  
"Don't tell me you can't even repair something as simple as this?," Rachel Crichton shook her head in disgust at her shipmates 'work' on the conduit.  
  
"Just a little problem reroutin the system, no biggy", he looked over his shoulder and grinned. "I'm not a complete idiot ya know, this should be fixed in no time." He was lying, he had no idea what he was doing and she knew it. And he knew she knew it. Kevin noticed her gaze turning colder on him and turned back to his work. "I thought you had your own repairs to work on the frag cannon."  
  
"Don't go telling me about what I'm supposed to be doing. I finished those a while ago and Talyn asked me to come down here and check out what's wrong. That junction you seem to 'know all about' is a vital part of our life support-"  
  
"-and if it goes we all go", he finished for her, already setting back to work. "Yadda, yadda, yadda. Don't ya got anythin better ta do than always tell me what I'm doin wrong?" He grabbed the end of the wire and felt a shock go through his hand, but didn't move this time. There was no way he was going to let Rachel think he couldn't handle this, even if it was the truth.  
  
"Actually, no. Except for this Talyn's running smoothly. Dad says we should reach the Amiac base in about two solar days and until then just to 'relax'."  
  
"Then why don't ya do THAT rather than hang around here makin my life a livin hell?" He finally pulled his hand back and hissed in pain. He looked at it and saw the tips of his fingers had burned. 'Damn it, why does she always make me do dumb things like this?!'  
  
"'Cause I like making you life a hell", she smirked and walked over beside him to examine the damage. He moved aside and watched in amazement as she simply took up the wire and grabbed the tool he had dropped in the compartment. Within seconds the wire had been repaired and she turned to look at him. "That wasn't so tough", she smiled again and looked down at his hand. "Maybe you should have Zhaan take a look at that."  
  
"I'm fine!", he yelled back in anger. He noticed her expression change slightly, almost a flinch. 'Na, couldn't be. Must be workin to hard...' But, another little voice in his head knew he had hit some soft point in her. She almost looked....guilty in that instance, but quickly hid it with her usual stone cold gaze.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Look, I have a couple other things to check up on. See you around..." he watched her leave. Now he _knew_ something was wrong, she never acted that...that, he couldn't place it. Something in her words had hit him as unusual. 'Maybe she actually felt bad...? Na.' He shrugged it off and looked at his hand. 'Well, can't argue with her about the Zhaan part I guess...' He took one last look at the repaired wires before walking on his way to sick bay.  
  
*****  
  
Eizak walked down the corridors towards the ships command deck. He was over an arn late for his shift and he knew Rachel and the Captain's tempers were growing ever microt. After his father had left him to finish his work out Zak had let his mind wonder. Between each punch to the dummy came another memory, another 'what if', until he finally completely lost himself and his own track of the time. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. All too often, Eizak would often find himself up late thinking about the past, the way things were, how they could have been. Ever since his little trip through time, memories of his child hood and his days on Moya had resurfaced. Times before the wars, before the constant battles, before the whole damned universe went topsy turby and inside out on him. He had thought those memories had been lost, but he was wrong. The images of happier times were still as fresh as ever and he hated them all. 'Too many regrets. You never miss anything if you don't know it exists. Or, existed...' Zak thought back reminded of an old human saying he had heard his father state once: 'Ignorance is bliss. Damn, he has no idea how true that can be...' His thoughts stopped abruptly as he reached his destination.   
  
Zak took a moment to straighten his uniform then stepped into command. He came to a hault as the door closed behind him and glanced around, smiling when he saw neither Rachel or the captain on deck. 'At least something is going for me today..' Zak walked over to Rachel's usual console to find it still on. 'Must have just missed her. She's probably out yelling at some poor engineer about how they're screwing up at their jobs again.' Just the thought of how protective his sister was of the ship almost made him laugh. True, he did share his own special connection with the young leviathan but Rachel sometimes treated Talyn better than her own brother. She seemed to understand every flicker and vibration in the ships halls, every single little noise and change in atmosphere. 'Just like Mom...'   
  
His smiled faded a bit and he gently ran a hand over the consoles controls. This was once where his own mother had stood cycles ago, making sure the ship was operating smoothly and communicating with Talyn, just as was Rachel's job now. Eizak remembered how his little sister had insisted on taking over their after their mother was killed. She had sworn she would live up to Commander Sun's memory, eventually staring their father down until he reluctantly agreed, and she had proved even truer than her word. Rachel was always at her post when she was needed and constantly making sure Talyn was in top condition. Zak smiled again, this time sadly. So much had changed in such a short period of time...  
  
"Hey! Snap out of it!" Eizak looked up to find Rachel standing beside him. She had her hands on her hips and was already glaring him down. 'Nothing new about that..'  
  
"Sorry, just thinking about something." He stepped back away from the console. His sister watched him, her gaze softening. She knew something was wrong, she'd have to be a fool not to notice how much more distant both Zak and her father seemed since the incident with the wormhole. Rachel understood the loss they felt, but she couldn't get why they let it distract them like this. She herself had taken time to mourn, even after seeing her mother again, but she knew better than to let it effect her work. If there was one thing she learned from her mother it was to never let emotions get in the way of your objective. But Rachel knew neither Eizak or the captain would understand that, the boy was too much like his father. 'Too much human in the both of them...'  
  
"Are you okay? You seem to be doing this a lot lately?", she tried to soften her words. The last thing they needed right now was for Zak to become any _more_ distant.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. Just...remembering."  
  
"About mom?" Eizak closed his eyes and she sighed. She had hit a soft spot. "Look, I'm sorry. Maybe you should go rest--"  
  
"No!", he looked back up at her. "I'm fine...I mean, I'll be fine." He plastered a smile on his face, hoping it looked believable enough to get her to leave him be. "I just need to work a little, that's all. Get myself focussed. I'll see you later Sis.."   
  
Rachel watched as he turned around and walked across the room to another console. She knew he was just wanted to be left alone right now, and she planned on allowing him his privacy. The last thing he needed was her badgering him and rubbing in what had happened. He still blamed himself for his mothers death, whether he knew it or not. 'Zak, why do you have to be so damn foolish? Things happen. Nobody can stop them...' She looked over her console. 'Between you and Father I'm going to suffer a nervous breakdown...'   
  
*  
  
John Crichton stared out at the ocean of stars in front of him as his mind wondered. Talyn's terrace was only half the size of Moyas, but he served its purpose all the same. John hadn't really stepped foot on it in the past two cycles, 'Too many memories...', he smiled as he reminisced about the past. So many things he missed, so much to regret. He swallowed and looked down shaking his head. What had happened wasn't fair to any of them, and just when he thought he had gotten over everything the past comes back to haunt him. He felt another tear roll down his face. Damnit, he couldn't allow himself to cry, he was still on duty. John straightened himself and quickly wiped his face with one hand.'C'mon, pull it together Crichton. Aeryn would pantek jab you if she knew you were like this, it's a damn sign of weakness! It miight make the others doubt your decisions..' Sometimes, he regretted being in command of so many people. So many people counting on his orders, his choices. So much at risk and all on his head. So much had changed in such a short time.  
  
He looked back out at the stars before him. It seemed no matter where they went, the stars were always the same. Maybe in different places, but the thought that some of the very same stars had been the ones he had shared with his wife so many times made him feel safer, secure. 'At least some things never die. Change maybe, but never die...' He smiled bitter-sweetly at the memories as they resurfaced. His eyes wondered over the scene when he saw it. He watched it for a moment, making sure what he was seeing was not only in his mind. When he was satisfied what he was seeing was in fact real he reached up to tap his communicator.  
  
"Command, this is the captain-"  
  
"Sir!", he was cut off by the young communications officer. "We're picking up a Peacekeeper squadron heading straight towards us!"  
  
He turned, already heading for command. "I'll be right there! Initiate a ship wide alert and deploy some of our Darters to meet them before they can reach us!"  
  
"Already on it Sir!" John cursed himself silently hearing his son's response. 'That boy is always looking for trouble...' For an instant he thought of ordering him to stay, but he knew that would be useless. Eizak had his mothers fighting spirit and he would be in that first wave of attacks orders or none.  
  
"Sir, Talyn estimates the squadron will reach us in less than ten microts!" Rachel stated over the communicator.  
  
"Yeah, tell me something I don't know..." John took off running down the corridor. This was going to be a long day....  
  
**  
  
He flew head-first into the fight while his mind still planned out his attack. The Prowlers were closing on Talyn fast, and only four other ships had launched not including his own. 'Five against an entire squadron. Definitely my kinda odds...' Eizak Crichton grinned to himself as he saw the attackers in front of him break rank and begin their assault. 'This is gonna be fun...' He aimed straight for the nearest attacker and began his pursuit, locking his weapons and opening fire. The Peacekeeper pilot dodged skillfully, but Zak had anticipated his move and destroyed the enemy before he could escape. 'Easier than shootin fish in a barrel..um... whatever that means...' Over his headphones he heard his shipmates making comments on their personal situations and targets. Zak glanced over at the scanners and smiled again, noticing yet another of his comrades launching from Moya and heading his way.  
  
"Nice of you to join us Parker."  
  
A laugh came through over Zak's headset followed by the country boys humored voice, "I oughta kick your ass for tryin to hog all the glory for yourself ya know!"  
  
Eizak shook his head and turned his attention back to the battle. Another prowler was already on his tail, attempting to get a lock on his craft. 'Uh uh, gotta do better than that...' He banked his craft a hard left, sending the chasing Prowler right past him and into another Peacekeeper attacker. Zak allowed himself to get distracted, watching as two of his comrades fought to lose the Prowlers pursuing them. He quickly gripped his controls and went to help, not noticing the Peacekeeper's squadron leader following behind.  
  
***  
  
The lieutenant watched as another two of her people were taken down by the rebels. She couldn't believe that in less two microts three of her regiments best and bravest had been disposed of so easily by the _same_ soldier. In all her life, she had never witnessed anybody that good in a Prowler battle, not even a Peacekeeper. Her eyes followed as his ship began to pursue yet another of her comrades. It was obvious he was probably their leader, and her duty was clear. He needed to be eliminated before they could even hope to call in reinforcements and take on the leviathan. Her gaze narrowed and she began her attack.  
  
****  
  
Kevin saw the Prowler coming, closing in on his friend rapidly. He tried to warn his Zak, but it was too late. The Peacekeeper had opened fire and Eziek Crichton was hit. It took a brief second for him to register what he had just witnessed.  
  
"Eizak, you okay?" No response. "Come-on buddy, answer me already!" Kevin checked his controls and realized there was no longer an open communications channel to his crew mate. He cursed loudly before switching his frequency over to Talyn's command.   
  
"Zak's hit!"  
  
He could make out various shouts on the bridge, but only Rachel's voice came through clear enough to understand. "We've noticed! We can't communicate with his ship anymore! Is he ok? Can you contact him?!"   
  
"I'm not sure", Kevin looked over towards his scanners and noticed Eizak's communicator was off. "His comm is down. I can't tell much from here, but he seems to be flying fine-" Kevin stopped suddenly as he watch Zak's ship turn around and fly after his attacker. "Whoa, wait! He's going after the squadron leader!"  
  
*****  
  
"Tell us something we don't know!!" Rachel had immediately began scanning her for brothers ship the moment she saw it had been hit. When Zak's signal first blinked off the screen, the firs thing that flashed through Rachel's mind was her own mothers end. 'I already lost one person I loved in this damn war. Damnit Zak, don't let me lose another!' She muttered a few curses when the battle interfered with the scans. Ray held her breath for a microt, waiting for Talyn to finish his report then sighed in relief when she finally saw the results. It seemed okay except for minor damage near the crafts main communications array and a slightly banged up wing. 'Thank God these aren't the Pleisars....'   
  
From the corner of her eye Rachel could see the captain had walked up behind her and read the scans as well. The look of relief on his face was obvious to everyone in command. Rachel smiled sadly. She knew her father couldn't take losing another one of his family either. 'He hasn't even forgiven himself for what happened to Mom yet-' Her thoughts were interrupted as reports of the battle reappeared in front of her. They had lost a ship and another Peacekeeper squadron was already heading into the battle. Reality hit Rachel hard, there was no way they could hold so many Prowlers back for long. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the captains blank face as he thought of what he had to do.  
  
"Call the others back, we need to starburst immediately", he stated and walked back to the center of the command, shouting orders to the crew. Rachel watched him a moment in disbelief. For as long as she knew him, her father _never_ backed down from a fight. 'Not like this at least.' She didn't know what was wrong, but now was not the time to ask questions. She turned back to her console.  
  
"Attention all units. Report back to docking immediately! Repeat, pull away and report home. This is a direct over-"  
  
*  
  
Kevin heard the command over his headset and looked back out at his friend. He couldn't leave, not yet. He would NOT leave Eizak alone in the middle of a swarm of PK Prowlers. 'Not again at least..' The young man watched as the others pulled back, but loosened his grip on the controls and flew towards his friend to clear an escape path.  
  
**  
  
"-ANYONE hear me?!!", Zak tried his comm again in a vain attempt to regain his communication with the others. The attack on his ship was a surprise, he didn't even see them coming. 'Remind you of some other battle Eizak..?' He tried the comm again and violently hit his fist against the control console when there was no response. He knew he had to report back to command, but that meant leaving his friends in the battle out here. 'No, that means _running_.' Zak gritted his teeth and turned his ship back around. Never before had a Crichton run from a challenge and he certainly wouldn't be the first. He saw the Prowler that had hit him coming right at him again and aimed. He smiled slightly in satisfaction as his hand squeezed the trigger and- Nothing happened.   
  
Zak panicked and tried again. Nothing. He quickly checked his diagnostics.   
  
"DAMN!!" His weapon had been damaged. Suddenly, his ship jolted and he looked up to find the Prowler was still coming, now firing directly at him. Eizak could hear the blood pumping in his ears and he gripped the controls shakily, pushing them hard right, but it was too late. He heard the explosion before it hit him-  
  
***  
  
Kevin saw a small explosion from Eizak's vessel. He couldn't believe it was possible, and for a moment he thought his own eyes had betrayed him. But the facts were there, clear as a bell and right in front of him; Zak's ship lay dead in space, no longer moving. 'No longer alive ya mean..' A small voice echoed in the back of his mind. His own survival had begun to overshadow his loyalty and honor, telling him to turn back before they killed him to. Still, he fought it. He would not leave his friend out here like this, Zak had saved his life more times than he could remember. ' 'Bout time I returned the favor...'   
  
Parker started to move his ship forward when he felt a slight tug. He looked down at his readings in shock to find he was caught in some sort of field.   
  
"Aw shit! Come on, come-on, come-on! This ain't the time!" He transferred his full power to the engines, but still could not escape the trap. He looked up and around, trying to see what it was that had imprisoned him. There was nothing but empty space and a couple of lone Prowlers. 'Can't be! What the hell is holding me!' Kevin looked down, hitting his fist against his console and staring at the sensors.   
  
It came out of nowhere, slowing fading onto his screen. He straightened up in his seat, unable to take his eyes off of the monitor. 'Holy shit...' It had to be as big as a Peacekeeper command carrier, but there was no way something like that could have gotten there without them knowing.   
  
****  
  
The captain watched with the rest of the crew as the ship materialized in front of them. He couldn't believe it, butt here it was materializing in front his very eyes. It was easily much larger than Talyn and obviously much better equipped. John heard the others gasp and mutter under their breaths as the ship was revealed. It was obviously a Peacekeeper vessel by the paintings and lettering on it's side, but somehow more menessing then anything they had ever seen before. 'Since when did the Peacekeepers have something like that-'   
  
His thoughts were once again interupted as Rachel shouted. "Sir, they're preparing to fire!" John shook his head, clearing his thoughts and looked at his daughter.  
  
"Are our people back onboard?" The look on her face gave away the answer. She bit her lip and looked back at her console then hesitated for an instant.  
  
"No...we're still missing Eizak and Kevin..."  
  
He looked down. He couldn't just leave his son as well as his best friends only child out there alone? If they left, he was positive the two young men would have no chance of survival. But, if he stayed his entire ship and crew would be incinerated by the large ship now aiming for them. They stood no chance alone against the opposing vessel, Talyn was still too young. He closed his eyes and held back his emotions once again as his face turned stone cold. 'Oh god...forgive me kids...DK....Aeryn....I'm sorry..'   
  
The captain slowly looked up and straightened himself. Rachel knew he had made his choice and looked back out at the stars in front of them. She could feel the tears already flowing from her eyes, but wouldn't let them flow. She had to remain stoic now, she could mourn later...  
  
"Tell Talyn to starburst away from here...," despite his grief, he still managed to sound calm and certain. Rachel nodded slowly and tapped the command.  
  
"You heard him Talyn..", she whispered and ran her hands down the console. "Let's go.." She could feel the ships reluctancy to leave. Talyn shared a special bond with Eizak just as he did with Rachel, even if it was not as deep. The young ship was willing to take on the large attacker for his friend, but he knew victory was impossible in this situation. And his captain had now ordered him otherwise. The crew braced themselves and the leviathan went into starburst.  
  
*****  
  
Eizak could hear noises somewhere in the distance. At first, his mind couldn't distinguish what any of them were. Shuffling, voices, a hitting sound. All seemed to blend together and create one large orchestra of meaningless jargon. He couldn't think for a moment, the pain in his head keeping his mind from concentrating. He could feel the cold concrete beneath him, but he had no idea of what had happened or how he could have gotten there.   
  
As the young man slowly opened his eyes all he could see was darkness. In a rush, memories of the last time he had awaken in strange place came to him. 'Last time...' He had almost altered history, threatening everything he knew. Zak winced both inside and out. Too much pain, every memory brought on more and more regret. So he let his mind go blank, and finally instead focussed back to his current situation, trying to decipher what all of this could mean. 'Get knocked out. Wake up in strange place in great pain. Repeat.' Zak mused to himself. He would have thought the comment funny if not for the ironic bit of truth to it. Twice in less than a month the same thing. In the back of his mind, he just knew that somewhere, someone in this universe was playing a cruel joke on him. But laying there was getting him nowhere, he was a person of action. Slowly Eizak braced himself and his injured leg and began to sit up. But before he could achieve his goal another wave a pain and dizziness hit him hard, forcing him to lie back down. 'Aw dren, this is not a good thing...'  
  
"You're up!"   
  
Eizak knew the voice immediately and closed his eyes again. "Unfortunately. You get the number of the cargo ship that hit me?"  
  
"Least ya still got your damn sense of humor."   
  
Zak smiled. It was Kevin all right, but the reason they were..wherever the were still eluded him. 'At least I'm not alone in this one.'   
  
He tried opening his eyes again, this time allowing them to adjust to the dim lights. The first thing he saw was his best friend hovering over him, a huge grin on his face. "Geeze, ever here of a dentic?" Eizak tried to sit up again, but yelled out as the pain in his leg increased.  
  
"Lay down, movin too much is just gonna tear ya up even more!" Parker sat back on the floor beside his friend. Zak reluctantly did as he was told and lay back down, still trying to piece together what had happened. He had gotten a good look of his surroundings, a cell of some kind. But why were they imprisoned? When had anyone had the chance to capture them?   
  
"What happened? Where are we?", he finally blurted out, no longer able to keep the rising number of questions to himself.   
  
He could hear Kevin sigh and looked over at his cell mate. Zak hadn't noticed the torn uniform and bruises on his friend's face before. It was pretty obvious the young man had been beaten badly. 'Definitely Peacekeepers' Zak knew there interrogating methods all too well, but the smirk plastered on Parkers face revealed the answer to the next question Eizak would have asked. He hadn't told them anything, if he had Zak knew he wouldn't be smiling about it.   
  
"You lost to a girl." The remark came as a surprise to Zak at first, but he had to remind himself who he was speaking too. This was, after all, the most illogical person he knew. 'Of course he's gonna make the most unrelated thing to say at the worst time he could possibly say it..'  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You were hit during the battle. The leader of the PK squadron nailed ya bad Buddy. Ya got lucky though, only blew your main controls and knocked ya out. We were both pulled in and taken prisoner a few days ago. They didn't even bother bringin you to the med labs, just threw ya in here and went on questionin me."  
  
Eizak let it all sink in. That would explain a lot, including why he couldn't remember anything. 'Must have taken a blow to my head when I was hit.' That would also explain why his leg felt like it had been smashed in, 'Cause it _was_ smashed in. Greeeaat, this hasn't been a good month.'  
  
"Uh huh. I guess that pretty much narrows my questions to one. What was that about 'losing to a girl'?"  
  
"Just that. The chick who whipped ya came in here a day or so ago. She wanted to interrogate you herself for some reason, but lucky for you, ya weren't 'exactly 'home' at the time."  
  
"Oh yeah..lucky me!" Zak winced at the last word as he finally just ignored the pain and sat up. He wasn't going to let a little thing like a wounded leg and a headache keep him from getting out of there. He was the son of John Crichton and Aeryn Sun, 'can't let a few scrapes and cruises stop me..'. Eizak winced again and slowly pushes himself up, using the wall to climb until he was balanced on his good leg. He felt another strong wave of pain rush through his entire body. 'On the other hand, there's a lot to say about a good healthy rest period..'  
  
Kevin stood quickly to helped his friend, "Uh, you sure you should be doin this?"  
  
The other young man bit his tongue and hid his pain. They couldn't rot away in here any longer, there was no telling when that 'girl' could be coming back. "I'm fine. We need to get out of here."  
  
"Exactly how hard was that blast to the head there Buddy? We're in the middle of PK base, level two imprisonment! There ain't no way outta the cell, I looked! Gettin out on our own is impossible."  
  
"There is no impossible, only unmotivated. Besides", Zak looked up and grinned at his friend. "I have a plan."  
  
"Already?" Kevin crossed his arms and waited. he had known Eizak Crichton long enough and could easily tell when he was bluffing. There was a short pause as Eizak looked around the cell once again.  
  
"Uh, actually no, not really. But, I _am_ working on one! Give me a break already."   
  
Kevin rolled his eyes and helped his friend to stand straight on his own. "Your plans never work anyway.."  
  
Eizak shot a glare up at the human. "My plans always work!"  
  
"Yeah, Wile E. Coyote's plans work more often.."  
  
*  
  
"Still nothing Sir...", the communications officer looked back over his shoulder at the captain. It had been almost a weeken since he had lost his son as well as Lt. Parker and he hadn't left the bridge since. The crew was beginning to think their leader might quite possibly losing his mind the way he stayed up late arns in command, never showing anymore emotions, never eating, never even sleeping anymore. No one could talk to him unless it were to report. Not even his own daughter or Pa'u Zhaan had been able to get past his emotional 'wall'. It seemed almost as if the military side of him remained alive to command and lead their crew, but deep inside the man was dead., no better than a Peacekeeper.  
  
The doors opened and Rachel Crichton entered the command, carrying a small computer in her hand. She had recently dedicated herself to heading the search for the ship that took both Lt. Kevin Parker as well as her brother's damaged craft. Rachel had even made sure she was the first to contact D.K. Parker on the Keron with the news of his sons capture since her father was too distraught to do it on his own. Since then, Captain Parker had taken charge of searching the remainder of the system for any signs of the Peacekeeper ship while Talyn continued on his way to the Almiac base in the next system.   
  
Rachel looked over at the captain as soon as she entered. He was very distant lately, even more so than after her mother had died. His never leaving command didn't help the situation any either. She wanted to talk to him, to confide that deep down it was killing her to think that her brother was gone. Even tell him what had been bothering her most since the battle: the fact she actually missed Parker.   
  
She had denied it at first, thinking she would feel the same for any other missing crewman, but deep inside she felt empty. 'What I wouldn't give for one of his dumb come backs-What am I thinking?!' She sighed. Maybe it was just the lack of sleep she had been having lately that was beginning to draw on such madness. Rachel watched as her father looked back at her, the bags under his eyes were obvious and he seemed to have aged even more so in the past week than he had in the past ten years. She took an unconscious breath and drew herself to attention.  
  
"Sir, the Keron reports they have spotted signs of a Peacekeeper base near the location of our last encounter."  
  
Rachel saw the captains face flinch for a moment as another emotion hit him head on. She knew he wouldn't allow himself to hope for the best, not anymore. Maybe, if something like this had happened a few years earlier he would be the first to rush head on towards the coordinate of the possible base and lead the rescue mission himself, but not anymore. Now he usually let his logic outweigh his heart. Still, deep inside, she hoped that maybe this time he'd make an exception to that.  
  
"Continue on our main course and trajectory." The captain spoke flatly and turned his attention back to his command. Damnit, what the hezmana was wrong with him? Rachel felt the frustration building inside her. She couldn't believe he could just pass such information by, without even checking.   
  
"Sir, may I have a word with you in private", the young woman could barely keep her voice under control. She wanted to shout, scream at him that what he was doing was the most ignorant, _stupidist_ thing she had ever witnessed. Blowing up at her superior officer, let alone her father, in front of the rest of the crew wasn't the way to handle it though, and she was well aware of that. The only thing she could get doing something as irrational as that was a guaranteed month of declogging duty.   
  
The captain looked over and nodded silently, walking out of the command and into the corridor outside. Rachel followed and stopped a few feet away from the bridges entrance. When she was sure that no one on bridge could hear either of them, she removed her stone faced mask and finally let loose her anger on him. "Please understand, I mean this in the most respectful way: What the hell are you doing?!"   
  
"What are you talking about?" He still wore a blank face. Emotionless, careless..'Damnit Dad, wake up already!'.  
  
"Aren't you just a little curious? I mean, what if Zak and Kevin are on that base? We can't just let the Keron go in there alone or we might have more than just two missing crewmen on our hands!"  
  
Crichton stared at his daughter a moment in silence as he let her let out her frustrations on him. Deep  
down, he couldn't blame her for feeling this way. He himself was battling over what to do inside. The fatherly, human side wanted to rush in and reclaim his child, but he knew taking just Talyn against the ship they had encountered earlier was next to impossible. 'We'd be space debris before we got one hundred metras near it again...'   
  
"Rachel, it is out of our hands. You yourself scanned that ship that attacked us, there is no way Talyn can take on something that large."  
  
"But you'd let your best friend since childhood fly in their in a practically unarmed diplomatic vessel and try?", she glared back at him with a death look. 'Same look her mother gave me whenever we had a falling out...'  
  
"No...look....", he tried to find the right words. He hated the idea of losing D.K., but knew it would be impossible to talk him out of going after Kevin. That boy was the last thing D.K. had left in the universe. John glanced at the floor, letting the two little voices in his head debate whether or not to listen to his daughter. She had a good point, but would the crew of Talyn really be willing to risk suicide for two crewman? 'They are the same two crewman who have saved not only everyone onboard this ship countless times, but also would risk themselves for any of their collages in a minute...' John then knew the answer. Yes, the majority of the crew would in fact be willing to take part in a rescue mission.   
  
Rachel saw the expression on her fathers face change again as he looked up calmly. 'Oh god, he's going to give me a better to be one than many speech.' She stared back at him, trying to seem emotionless, but John could tell she was nervous. He smiled slightly, his first real smiled in days.  
  
"We'll set course immediately. But not before we meet up with D'Argo and his command ship. We'd be just plain stupid to go in their with only Talyn. Relay a message to the Keron, tell D.K. to hold off and wait for us to arrive."  
  
"You mean..?" She smiled as it all his her at once. She had actually broken through to him, succeeded where even Zhaan had failed. 'Froyd eat your heart out...' Rachel nodded and stood at attention. "I will send a message immediately Sir!"  
  
The captain nodded and turned back to command. "Oh, one more thing." He glanced back at his daughter and smiled. "Back talk me again young lady, and it's declogging duty for you."  
  
**  
  
Eizak watched as his friend paced in front of him. He was growing more and more restless by the minute, every time his comrade passed in front of him seemed like another arn had passed. They had both lost track of time, and made sure they had thoroughly examined every piece of their cell. There was nothing, no way out. 'Damn Peacekeepers and their efficiency...' Zak's eyes followed his friend again as the tension began to build.  
  
"Stop it already!"  
  
"Stop what?" Kevin halted his pacing in front of him and stared down at hid friend.  
  
"That pacing! The only thing you could accomplish by it is drilling a whole to the next cell under us."  
  
"I was _thinkin_ all right? We gotta get outta here somehow. I ain't spendin the rest of my days rottin in a PK rat hole!"  
  
"We may have no choice!" Eizak could see the frustration building in his friends face and decided her needed to change the subject before they were both driven insane. "All we can do for now is wait. Let's do something to pass the time until then."  
  
"Like what?" Kevin slumped against the wall beside his friend and looked over.  
  
"I don't know. You know more Earth games than I do, you pick something."  
  
Kevin considered this, but before he could answer they both heard foot steps heading towards their cell. Kevin rose to his feet, staring at the door with a determined look in his eyes. Zak immediately knew what he was planning and shot a hand up to grab his comrades arm.   
  
"Uh uh, you don't have chance."  
  
"We'll see 'bout that..." They both looked over as the cell door opened and a young woman stepped into the room. Eizak was taken back for a moment, she seemed to be no older than he was but she wore an officers uniform. Her gray eyes stared at both of the young men coldly, and her light brown hair was pulled back into a standard Peacekeeper ponytail. 'Great, another deadly beauty. Just what this galaxy needs...'  
  
The two other soldiers entered the room, their uniforms announcing them as standard 'thugs', each clutching a fierce looking pulse rifle in their hands. The young officer smiled darkly and crosses her arms, her eyes finally fixing on Zak who remained sitting against the wall.  
  
"I see our other guest has decided to finally wake up." Zak glared back at her. Her tone suggested she thought him an inferior. 'We'll see about that Ms. PMS...' He slowly stood up, ignoring the firey pain that filled his leg and body as he moved. He was not going to be made a fool of by anyone, especially this lousy excuse for an officer.  
  
"Nice of you to finally drop by. Let me guess, too afraid the big bad 'rebels' might hurt you if you're left alone?" He smirked referring to the guards. One of the lower ranks began to step forward, but the officer stopped him and glared at Zak coldly.  
  
"I don't like your tone. If it was up to me, I'd kill you on the spot."  
  
"Then why don't you try it?"  
  
"Because I have my orders. Seize him." The two guards walked over towards their prisoners. Kevin threw a punch, hitting him square in the jaw, only to end up beaten down with the but of the others riffle. Zak had tried to help his friend, but was instead grabbed by the two and dragged, struggling out of the cell. The young woman smiled to herself and turned to follow the others as the door closed behind her.  
  
Kevin slowly picked himself up, his lip and nose bleeding once again and more bruises already forming on his body. He stared helplessly as the doors locked behind the officer and cursed to himself. All he could do now was wait and hope that Zak made it out okay.  
  
***  
  
Zak continued to struggle as the Peacekeepers carried him down the corridors. Despite his condition, he seemed to be giving his captors a good fight, making it harder and harder for them to keep their hold on him. He didn't know what else to do, surely death would be a better fate than to end up telling everything he knew about Talyn and his family. He knew just how valuable the information he had was to his captors, and he was well aware they would do _anything_ to get it.  
  
As his strength began to were down, they pulled him into a small room adjacent to what looked to Eizak as the main corridor. Inside, techs busily worked around a large chair that sat bolted to the center of the room as a Peacekeeper soldier worked at its controls. He recognized what he was looking at immediately, his fathers horror stories of it still fresh in his mind. He knew what this device was capable of and just how much damage it could leave if one struggled to hold back information. Suddenly, Zak felt a burst of new energy zap through him as the realization of where they were taking him hit. But, it was too late. The soldiers pulled him over and held him down as another guard strapped him in. From the corner of his eye, he could see the young woman who had brought him here smile once again and cross his arms. He closes his eyes and relaxed, trying to think of how he was going to get out if this one...  
  
****  
  
"-the most important thing to remember about this mission is to keep your crafts away from their sensors and undetected for as long as possible. With any luck, they won't even see us coming and we can take the advantage of hitting them with a surprise assault." John Crichton looked up at the regiment of pilots standing in front of him. Over a hundred crewmen from both Talyn and the Keron, all decked out in their flight suits, each one prepared to sacrifice themselves on a rescue to bring back their two missing comrades. 'All ready for me to sentence them to possible death simply to save the life of my son...' He glanced back down at the tactical map in front of him, unable to face the regiment any longer. Deep in his heart, Crichton had to question the morality of what he was doing. It was senseless to risk so many for the sake of just two individuals, no matter who those two might be. They had already lost so many others to the Peacekeepers. Countless numbers of resistance members, both human and sebacean had been taken prisoner and sent to lifers colonies across the universe. Still, here he was briefing these men and women and about to order some to die for the sake of his son....  
  
"-John?! Snap out of it man!"  
  
Crichton looked up and smiled reflexively when he saw who had interrupted his thoughts. DK Parker, captain of the Keron and John's boyhood friend, eyed Crichton with concern etched in his face. BR  
"Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment I guess...", John muttered then straightened his shoulders, ready to turn his attention back to the briefing.  
  
"A moment? Ha! You were standing there a good two minutes before I decided that tormenting these poor kids by makin them stand in attention like this was enough. You know, there's such thing as over dramatizing a dramatic pause."  
  
John smiled again and shook his head. If there was one thing in the universe he could be certain of, it was Parkers infinite knowledge of wit. Crichton believed that it was probably his own sort of survival mechanism. They all knew DK had taken the deaths of Alex and his unborn child hard, but he never let it show in front of anyone. John had wished he could have been there to support his friend during that time, but fate hadn't allowed it. It had taken over three more cycles before Crichton even became aware of what the Peacekeepers did to Earth, and by then it was too late.  
  
"I'd like to see you go over these tactics. You know about as much about Peacekeeper maneuvers as you know Greek."  
  
"Gimme a break! You know foreign languages were never my best subject", John again smiled at his best friends retort and glanced over. Though his personality remained unaltered, DK's appearance had certainly changed over the years. Age was written all over his face and his once rebel long hair had been cut and streaked with gray. 'Looks even more like my father than _I_ do now..' John mused, remembering the old austronaught who hadn't scene since the fateful day he had left on the Farscape mission. Of course, he couldn't ignore what cycles running from the Peacekeepers had done to him either. Captain John Crichton was far different from the man he once was, no longer the timid scientist. Now, he commanded a fully armed warship and had lead countless attacks against the Peacekeepers, both on land and in space. 'Not to mention tackling a few other obstacles here and there...'  
  
As if on cue, Rachel entered the cargo bay where the troops had gathered. She headed to join the back of the ranks, a black flight suit replacing her normal tech uniform. DK raised an eyebrow and looked back at his friend.   
  
"Looks like Daddy's Little Girl wants to show off today.." DK trailed off. He could easily read the facial expressions on John's face change from light hearted to the 'stern parent'. Parker knew immediately what was about to happen, and far be it from him to get in the way. "Um...maybe I oughta finish briefing these guys. I think you might have something else to attend to."  
  
John didn't even take his eyes off his daughter as he moved around and then towards the back of the regiment, and Rachel continued to pay no attention to him. Instead, she simply stared ahead with the others and listened as Captain Parker picked up where her father left off. She knew he would try this, she had already planned out her argument as she marched to join the others. She was as good a pilot as any of the others in the room, and a better aim than most. Rachel had logged in more than enough time in training exercises, not to mention winning more than one simulated dog fight with her brother. She was confident she could handle herself, there was no way the captain was going to talk her out of it. Not this time-  
  
"What are you doing here?" She felt, more than heard him whisper into her ear from behind. He was trying not to distract the others, though Rachel had no doubt they all knew exactly what was gong on.  
  
"I'm going on this mission, like it or not." She kept her face blank and her eyes ahead. Maybe if she didn't make eye contact he would back down easier...  
  
"No, you are not. You are to stay aboard Talyn and-"  
  
"And what? You and I both know that there are more than enough tech onboard to take care of Talyn and he is old enough to know what to do to protect himself and the crew!", she finally allowed herself to turn her head and face him, her eyes relentless. "It's time I earned my keep. You have to let me go out there and fight some times, I can't be your little girl forever!"  
  
John was taken back by her final words. He had already lost so much; first his home, then Aeryn, now maybe his son... His father had once told him how sometimes a parent could become over attached to their children and eventually end up harming them because of it. He had never thought it possible to over love something, at least not until he became a parent himself. But now, here he was doing the exact thing his father had once warned him against. He knew he needed to let go, but it was just so hard...  
  
John's eyes softened as the realization his him. He had to let his youngest one go. She needed to do this, to prove something for bother herself and the rest of the crew.   
  
There was no other way around it. The time had come to let go.  
  
"You're right. You need to be out there with the others', John could feel the tears coming, but he held them back. He couldn't cry in front of her, not right now. "'You know, my father once said that everyone has a chance to be their own kind of hero. Maybe it's time you discovered who you are for yourself..."   
  
Rachel smiled. She could tell by his voice he had to force the words out of his own throat. "Thanks Sir......Dad..."   
  
John nodded slowly and smiled back at her. "Good luck. Just bring him back for me in one piece, got it?"   
  
"Hmm...no guarantees on the one piece part"  
  
They stared at eachother for a second longer before Crichton finally simply nodded and left. With that, they both knew there was nothing else left to say at that moment.  
  
*****  
  
Eizak gasped as the machine slowly came to a stop again. He had watched his entire life played out in it's entirety yet again as his enemies raped his memories. He felt helpless, the harder he blocked their machines the worse the pain had gotten until he reached the point of having no choice but to give in. Zak had lost all track of time arns before, both his mind and body being forced to focus on the horrors his captures put him through. As he began to regain control of his thoughts he heard the door once again slide open from behind him. 'Another one. As if six of them watching isn't bad enough, they have to invite friends..'   
  
He heard voices mutter something behind him, but the ringing in his head kept him from understanding. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. He had to escape this place, if he remained in this chair much longer there was no doubt it would kill him. Zak had thought that was what they wanted at first, but it then it didn't make sense for them to go to all this trouble. 'Could have blown my brains out when I first got here...' No, they wanted, no _needed_ something of him, from him. Now, all he had to do was figure out what....  
  
"-I've given you more than enough time. If I do not see results within the next four arns-"  
  
Eizak's heart raced as his ear finally cleared. That voice, he knew it anywhere. But it couldn't be, it was impossible. Not here, not commanding the enemy. He closed his eyes and again tried to listen in on the conversation.  
  
"Sir, I assure you-"  
  
"I don't want to hear it! You have your orders Crais, either you will follow them out or you will suffer the consequences of your failure. Is that clear?"  
  
Eizak heard the door once again open and close behind him as someone left. He was sure his ears were playing tricks on him, it was the only explanation. 'Too much time in this damn mind probe thing. It's getting to me...' He closed his eyes and tried to think. The idea that he might be losing his mind had surfaced to him on more than one occasion within the past few arn and he was now convinced that was exactly what the Peacekeepers wanted.  
  
"That was far too close. Perhaps we should leave someone at the door, just in case-"  
  
"You babble too much. There's nothing to worry about, what we want from him is not in That part of his memory, we will not have to search there anymore."  
  
Memories? They wanted his memories? But why? He didn't know anything that the Peacekeepers didn't. All battle statistics were handled by his father and those higher rank than him. Hezmana, he didn't even know that much about the equipment except for Talyn...'That's it! That has to be. They're after Talyn...figures.' He heard someone move over towards his right where the machines controls were. 'Looks like I'm in for another spin on this thing...' He braced his body and mind before they restarted. There was no way he was going to give them what he wanted. Never.  
  
"You heard the captain. Increase the impute energy by 3.4 and restart the extraction."  
  
Eizak felt the chair beneath him begin to vibrate as the chair slowly recharged. He swallowed his fear and held back as another surge of pain hit his body.  
  
*  
  
"This is Gray Wolf reporting in. We are picking up nothing in sector thirty-four." Rachel listened over her headset as the reports came in from the other squadrons. Three arns of being cramped up in the cockpit of the small craft were not doing much to brighten her mood, and these negative reports only seemed to make things worse. there were no signs of any Peacekeeper activity in the area, not even measly Prowler spotted. 'Doesn't make sense. The readings confirmed the attack ship had been orbiting this sector...' She had read the scans herself and there was no doubting it. A ship that size couldn't just leave the system undetected either, it had to still be near by. 'Unless of course they finally discovered their precious worm hole technology.' She shuddered at the thought. The Peacekeepers had once, and only once been able to forcibly open a wormhole and the results of that had been devastating. It took the Federation a while, but they had eventually been able to capture the only ship with the means to create such an anomaly and destroy it along with any chance of the Peacekeepers creating another one like her again. Of course, in doing so many humans also gave up their chances of ever seeing their home planet again.  
  
"This is Blue Heaven reporting in", a female voice cut through the static. "I believe I have picked up the base. I am transmitting coordinates now." Rachel looked over at her navigation's unit. Sure enough, a new location had been pin pointed and many of their regiment were already on their way. She grinned and turned her ship to follow. She had a good feeling about this, maybe things would be okay after-  
  
"Mayday!! I count about thirty Prowlers heading to intercept, I can't lose them--", a loud explosion sounded over the comm and Rachel's breathing stopped. She heard the alarm in her craft go off as the Prowlers began to attack their squadrons, their location had been compromised. She heard another explosion as she lost another crew mate. In that moment, she came to the realization of what exactly she had gotten herself into. Her heart raced and she regripped her controls, heading into the battle. There was no turning back for her now. It was time to either prove her worth, or die trying.   
  
**  
  
The young Peacekeeper ran down the corridors as swiftly as her legs could carry her, pulse riffle armed and ready in her hands. The alarm around her rang over and over again in her ears, dark red lights flashing to signal a base wide alert. A prisoner had escaped, and not just any prisoner. He was one of the rebels she had captured herself, her proof and her responsibility. Losing such a prize now would not just scar her honor, but might also threaten the already bruised reputation of her family. Her anger grew at the though; she would not let it happen again. Her father had betrayed the Peacekeepers because of vengeance, he had practically taken all the glory she could have had before she was even born. All because off her family name. Valas had worked too hard to rebuild the name of Crais to see it torn down so easily. The prisoner would not leave the base alive, she would make certain of that.  
  
***  
  
Kevin pressed his back to the wall and listened as the guards chasing him ran right by the small alcove he had hidden in. He had to get moving soon, but not before he could at least catch his breath. Even with all the conditioning he put himself threw, nothing had preparred him for running from a base full of armed Sebaceans for more than an hour with no rest. He had finally managed to escape his cell when the guard made the mistake of walking in and turning his back to the prisoner. Still, even with a swift and almost unseen blow to the head, the Peacekeeper had managed to sound an alarm before falling unconscious. Kevin had been running ever since, finding more and more armed PKs around every corner he turned. He knew he needed to find a way off the base soon and back to ally space before they finally cornered him, but a larger part of his conscience demanded that he find his shipmate first. Kevin and Eizak had practically grown up together, they even joined the E.U.D.F. on the same day. He couldn't, no wouldn't leave his friend at the hands of the Peacekeepers.  
  
A shot suddenly went off, hitting the wall inches from Parker's head. He looked over to find himself facing the barrel of a Peacekeeper riffle with a very angary young woman on the other end.  
  
"Arms on your head and slowly step towards me!" Kevin knew when he was caught, and by the look in her eyes he didn't question she would pull the trigger. He raised his hands and stepped towards the corridor carefully. The soldier glared, and grabbed his arm as soon as he was in reach, shoving his face into the wall outside the alcove. His breathing stopped when he felt the nozzle of her gun press against his head and her breath against his ear. "Stupid human. What made you think you even had a chance getting off this base alive?"  
  
"I dunno, maybe just good ol' country boy optimism." He had to stall her, get himself out of this mess. The only question was how...  
  
"It's a wonder you humans have survived this long with such a lack of intelligence." She pulled him back from the wall, keeping a gun to his head and his hands behind his back. Kevin could tell she was probably a commando by her strength. 'Guess that leaves wrestling the gun from her out.' He was strong, but no human was foolish enough to take on a well trained, armed Peacekeeper in a hand-to-hand fight. It was proven that Sebaceans had superior strength and senses, the young soldier was probably just as strong as Parker was and better trained to boot. "This is Officer Crais, I've caught the prisoner at the corridor near Station 14. I will be bringing him back to a higher security cell shortly." He heard a muffled answer through the woman's communicator then felt her press the gun into his back. "This way!"BR  
"Ow! Watch it with that this will ya?!"  
  
"Shut up and go!"  
  
"All right, all right, I'm going!" Kevin sighed and walked down the hall, guided by the gun toting soldier behind him. As they turned the corner, a flash caught his eye and his mind raced to form a plan.   
  
****  
  
Captain Crichton stared out into the void of space in front of him. It had been over three arns since anyone on Talyn had heard from the rescue squadron, and John couldn't help but notice the growing tension he felt in the atmosphere of the ship. He knew the entire crew was anxious about this mission, everyone onboard Talyn was ready and waiting for the Alpha Squadrons signal to attack. Their plan had changed when the Peacekeepers attacked them, this was no longer an undercover mission. The team had known the risks going in, but Crichton still felt guilty allowing them to do it. But what was done was done, and all they could do now was wait. John sighed and glanced over at the communications officer beside him. "Any word yet?"  
  
"Nothing Sir, just silence", the young man looked up. He could see the worry in his captains eyes. The captain could't take much more of this, he had already been through too much. "Perhaps you should rest Sir, go get some sleep-"  
  
"I'll sleep when I am tired thank you!", John regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. The young officer quickly turned his head back to his controls and muttered a "yes Sir" under his breath. Crichton rubbed his eyes and looks back at the stars. He knew the officer was right, he did need to get his mind off the situation. But, deep inside he didn't want to. He couldn't stance the thought of sleeping while people, his crew, could be dying at the hands of the Peacekeepers and he could do nothing. He needed to confide in somebody, let some of his frustrations out.   
  
"I'm...going to take a short break. Contact me if there's even the slightest news", he turned and walked out of the bridge.  
  
*****  
  
Zhaan turned her head as someone entered her quarters behind her. She smiled to see who it was and put down the herbs she was mixing to greet him. "John, I've been expecting you to come by soon."  
  
"Oh really?", Crichton had to smile, something about the Delvian's welcoming mood always managed to comfort him. They had been through so much together, he now tended to look at her as a sort of "mother" figure, someone he could confide in and trust.  
  
"Yes, it is not like you to avoid talking for so long", She motioned towards a seat and John sat down and smirked.  
  
"You missed my blabbing? There's a first."  
  
Zhaan had no idea what "blabbing" meant, but didn't bother to ask. She had heard enough of the human's odd phrases to know better. Instead, she sat across from him and went on. "Captain Parker came to talk earlier. He mentioned that you felt somewhat guilty about this entire mission."  
  
"It's not guilt, just..." John trailed off and looked down towards the ground. How could he explain it away? Why did he even try? What he was feeling had been slowly eating him alive since he had first heard about what happened to his son and Lt. Parker. He did feel a little responsible, but that was not the only source of his misery. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even to himself, John was feeling helpless. He hated the idea, but it was the truth. He could do nothing but sit and wait until the others returned, and it was that that was driving him to the point of insanity.  
  
John felt Zhaan put a friendly hand on his leg and looked up. He could see in her eyes that she knew exactly what he was thinking and she understood his pain. "John, you must learn to be more patient. Things will work themselves out in time."  
  
'Funny. Sounds like something Dad would say...', Crichton often wished his father could be here and guide him as he did when he was younger. Perhaps that was why he always turned to Zhaan, because in a strange way she reminded him of his dad. He felt a tinge of remorse suddenly, forcing himself to remember the past.  
  
His father been one of the first to leave Earth when humans were forced to surrender, but he was injured badly. John had found the ship Jack Crichton was on just days after his death. It had hurt for him to see his fathers corpse for the first and last time, but Aeryn and the others had helped him through it. John had no regrets though, the moment had been bittersweet to him, allowing him to bring some sort of closer to his quest. It was at that moment he had found a new destiny, the moment he had decided to join the Federation and the E.D.U.F.  
  
Crichton looked up at Zhaan one more time, the sadness of his memories still clear on his face. "You're right... I should take a rest. Thank you for the talk." He stood up and headed for the door.  
  
"John", Crichton stopped and looked back to the old priestess still sitting in her chair. "Take care at least. No matter what happens, there are still many who need you." He nodded and walked out the door.  
  
Zhaan looked away and across the room at the small statue she kept on her shelf. "Watch over his dead goddess. Allow his mind to clear before he makes a decision he will regret..."  
  
*  
  
"LET GO OF ME!!!!", she screamed and kicked, but the restraints the human had put her in were far too strong. Valas couldn't believe it, the damn rebel had actually been clever enough to know how to open the emergency gun shaft. No, she would never admit that. The human hadn't been clever, she had been foolish! She had let her guard down when she saw him groan and tumble over. His hand clutched his stomach and he went straight into the wall. She had paused for a moment, unknowingly as he worked the lock, and when she grabbed his arm and forced him up she found a pistol pointing right at her face. She silently cursed every god she ever heard of for letting this happen. There would be no forgiveness from High Command for this. She would be demoted down to ensign, _if_ she was lucky.  
  
The human shoved her into the alcove he had been hiding in before, his hand still holding her mouth shut. "Where's the guy you brought me in here with?", he hissed, trying to keep his voice low enough so nobody outside could hear. She only glared back, keeping her silence. She knew the importance of the other one, the entire base knew who he was. The son of Captain Crichton was too valuable a commodity for her to give away, and she wouldn't. Even if it meant her life, she would never tell.  
  
**  
  
Kevin realized brute force would get him no where by the look in the Peacekeepers face. She wouldn't talk, and that just frustrated him more. He needed to find his friend and get away from here, though doubted the Peacekeepers would kill Eizak. They probably knew already who he was, and they'd use him as bait to lure Talyn out into the open. Kevin couldn't let that happen.   
  
He let out a growl and yanked the young woman away from the wall, putting an arm around her neck from behind and pressing the gun roughly to her back. "Fine, guess you're coming with me until we find 'im them huh?"  
  
The young PK gritted her teeth and spoke coldly. "Do not think the other's will hesitate to shoot you just because you have me at gun point! I am expendable-"  
  
"Right, well we'll just have to take that risk now won't we?! Besides, I never did like the idea of dyin around ya know? Now move!"  
  
***  
  
  
Rachel Crichton rechecked the navigational compass in her hands, hoping to find a change in the readings. She had been searching for a way into the Peacekeeper's base for arns, but so far had nothing to show for her efforts. She was amazed that the squadron had somehow managed to land undetected right on top of the facility. The odds were all for them that time, and thanks to three of the pilots distracting the rest of the Peacekeeper assault in the atmosphere they seemed to have no trouble remaining unnoticed. It had taken a little while for them to regroup, and when they did the first thing they did was form a plan. Commander Davis had taken charge, being the highest in rank. He had given out assignments and put Rachel in charge of finding a way into the base along with half the team while the others made sure the Peacekeepers stayed out of the way. Rachel had agreed, hoping she could crack the facility open within an arn. No such luck, the place was sealed tight.   
  
'Peacekeepers certainly have something valuable to hide in there...', she sighed again and shook her head. The possibility of them finding a way in was getting slimmer by the microt. She began forward again and looked back at her compass. They'd be lucky just to get off this rock alive-   
  
She stopped, and her compass began beeping wildly. It seemed to be picking up something directly below her. Rachel felt her heart race and she glanced down at the ground. Hope rose when she saw what it was and she quickly pressed her comm.   
  
"This is Tech Crichton, reporting to Davis! Sir, I think I've found something. There's an air vent up here, very small but it may be big enough for some of the slimmer ones to squeeze through."  
  
"Good job Crichton. I'll send the others your way. Davis out."   
  
Rachel kneeled down and grabbed the vent ion the ground in front of her. It opened easily, though the grate proved slightly heavy to her. She smiled again. 'Maybe we have a chance after all..' Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the sound of running footsteps and looked up. The Calvary had arrived, and with luck they would be off this rock in no time.   
  
****  
  
"You'll never get away with this! As soon as-", Kevin ignored his hostage once again. She had been babbling this kind of garbage ever since he turned the tables on her, and she never seemed to shut up. It was always the same things; about how he would be tortured when he was found out, and how much he would regret it. 'I'm regretin it right now, but only 'cause of that mouth of yours..' He pushed her down the halls, keeping his ears open for more important things.  
  
They had already had a couple encounters where the other Peacekeepers had almost caught him, but thanks to his swift reflexes and a strong hand over the young woman's mouth, he had managed to avoid any confrontations thus far. As they neared another corner, he heard more voices in the distance, and quickly pulled the PK woman to the wall, again covering her mouth and listening carefully.  
  
"And there's been no word of the prisoner or Lt. Crais since?" That voice...Kevin could have sworn he had heard it before.  
  
"No Sir, we had a communication from Crais telling us she had caught the escapee, but nothing since then."  
  
"Then keep searching, if he has..disposed of Lt. Crais he cannot be far. I want the prisoner back in his cell within an arn! Is that understood?"  
  
"Yes, Captain!"  
  
Kevin could only hold his breath as the footsteps drew closer. He saw the figures pass right by the corner, heading towards the end of the adjacent hallway. He almost allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief until he saw one of them stop and turn slightly, facing the other. He felt his throat go dry, his eyes had to be playing tricks on him.  
  
"I expect a report of what information was extracted from that other prisoner too. We need to know his identity and who he serves under before High Command arrives. Is that clear?" The Peacekeeper Captain stared down on the inferior officer, her gray eyes unwavering. The officer simply nodded.  
  
"Yes, Sir, I will begin a report immediately!"   
  
"You had better. You know I don't take kindly to those who fail orders..." Yes, Kevin was convinced he wasn't delusional. It was her all right, same raven dark hair and steel eyes. Parker had served under her when he was first assigned to Talyn, when she was respected as one of the best pilots the Federation had. Except now, a Peacekeeper captains uniform replaced her old jet black flight uniform. Kevin couldn't understand what all of this meant, but one thing read clear. She was alive, and she was now on the enemies side. 'A traitor...' The word echoed in his mind while it sunk in. A hero, someone he himself had grown to look up to as a role model, an alley in the fight against the Peacekeepers, someone they had all trusted had betrayed him. He felt the anger rise inside him, the hurt and the frustration build. He could deny it no more, despite how much he wanted to.  
  
Kevin felt a sharp pain run into his hand and hissed, looking down. He had almost forgot about the young woman he still held to the wall, but a sharp, biting pain in his palm brought the memory back to him. He restrained removing uncovering her mouth until he was sure both Peacekeepers were out of range.  
  
"Capta-!!" Kevin quickly used his uninjured hand to prevent her from calling for help. He examined his wound, a small bite mark right in the center of his palm.   
  
"Damn, shoulda warned me that ya bite!" He ignored the cold glare the woman gave him and hoisted her back into full standing position. "You try somethin like that again and I swear.. I ya know. Now come on!"   
  
*****  
  
Valas couldn't believe the humiliation of it all. First the human had the audacity to hold her at gunpoint and now he was leading her around her own base like some sort of pet! She had felt hope rise when she saw the captain coming, only to have it torn down again when the same prisoner cut her off. It gave her some comfort knowing that there was no way he was going to escape the base. No matter what happened to her he would pay.  
  
"Hold on." He stopped abruptly and stayed silent. Valas looked around the best she could trying to figure out why. Maybe another Peacekeeper was coming, if that was the case she might still have a chance.  
  
"What's in that door?" He slowly removed his hand, keeping it close to her face just in case she tried to call for help once again.  
  
"It's nothing, just a storage room", she was lying. She hoped her training had paid off, if he were to actually enter that room and find-  
  
"Riiight, let's just see about that eh?" He moved with her over to the panel on the side. "Time to do your thing. Unlock it."  
  
"I told you, it's just-"  
  
"I said unlock it!" He enforced his command by pressing his gun harder into her back. Talas didn't know why exactly, but she felt a sudden panic. As if all her training had failed her, and she was no at this moment. She didn't have to see his eyes to know he was growing frustrated, and all too serious about his threat. She was faced with a choice now, die as a Peacekeeper or live as a traitor.  
  
Before she had even made a decision, her hand took over and quickly pushed the entrance code to the room.   
  
*  
  
Eizak heard the doors open behind him and immediately dreaded what might come next. He had been submitted to this "device" for arns now, almost nonstop. They had gotten everything out of him, he had eventually given in when the pain had become to much for even the best trained soldier to bare. He knew very well what was coming next. They would most likely try to use him to lure Talyn into a trap then execute him before the ship even arrived. It was standard PK procedure, well known on both sides of the universe.   
  
"Zak!" The voice was the last thing he had expected. It couldn't be, the Peacekeeper's must be playing tricks on his mind again. They were trying to torment him even more. 'What else do they want from me?!'  
  
"Go..'way...can't..", he could barely manage to words. His body was still weak. Damn it, didn't they even have the decency to let a person recover before tormenting them again?!  
  
"Aw man! Am I glad to see ya Buddy!" Eizak blinked and raised his head slightly. He saw the blurry image of Kevin walk closer and examine his face. "Man, what the hell did they do to you? Ya look like shit!" Zak tried to manage a smile. There was no denying it, no PK simulation could be so dead on. He doubted even a hallucination could do any better. This was most certainly the real life, flesh and blood Lt. Kevin Parker in front of him.  
  
"Feel worse. How..?"  
  
"Loooong story, don't got the time. Right now, we here just gotta get ya the hell outta that thing then find ourselves an escape route." Parker walked over and released his friend from the restraints, leaving the Peacekeeper female standing there.  
  
**  
  
Her first thoughts were to run and get help. Every part of her being was screaming at her to get moving, but she ignored them all. For some odd reason, it just felt...wrong. She watched as the young man helped his comrade to stand up, never before had she witnessed such camaraderie. If any Peacekeeper was to help another in such a way, putting himself on the line for the sake of one, they would have been punished. She was trained to only think of the mission, of the team. There were no "friends" in battle, only allies and enemies. But here, this same man who had escaped her grasp had risked his own life and freedom to save his friend.  
  
"Why?", the words came out before she even realized what she was saying. She saw the young blonde one look up at her, confusion lining his face.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You..you went through all this just to rescue one man? We have all we need from him, it's pointless to try and hide-"  
  
"Man, you lose the point completely don't ya! It's not about secrets anymore. I can't just let him die, I  
mean-"  
  
She a felt the hot pain suddenly enter her back and her eyes widen in surprise. She knew what it was, for some reason it didn't surprise her at all.   
  
***  
  
'Aw shit...shitshitshitshit SHIT!', Kevin was sure they had been caught. He raised his own weapon as the young Peacekeeper fell to the ground, but froze when he saw who it was.  
  
"Rachel?!"  
  
Rachel Crichton slowly lowered her weapon and walked into the room. "Did I...I mean.." She stared down at the body of the Peacekeeper, unable to take her eyes off the large wound in her back. Another pilot ran over and bent down beside the fallen woman, checking for a pulse.  
  
"She's still alive, but barely." Rachel sighed in relief then looked back up at Kevin and her brother.  
  
"Eizak!" She holstered her pistol and rushed over, finally helping Kevin with his half conscience body. "Is he okay? What happened to him?!" She looked back at Kevin, her eyes full of fear and sadness.  
  
"I dunno, found him here just a bit ago. I mean...Ray, I'm sorry. I should helped him out sooner, if only I-"  
  
"No. You tried Kevin, that's all the matters right. H-he'll be okay. We just have to get out of here."  
  
"But how? This place is sealed tight-"  
  
"The rest of the squadron has secured a route of escape for us, we should be back home in no time."   
  
"So were her famous last words..." Kevin couldn't help but grin at the look she gave him. Rachel took out her comm and contacted the others, telling them the mission was almost over. All the was left was to carry Eizak out of here and fly home. 'Piece of cake...' Somehow, that still didn't comfort Kevin.  
  
***  
  
Captain D.K. Parker was standing in command when the communications officer got the message. The young man grinned and looked up at his superior with an ecstatic expression. "Sir! Great news, we have word from the squadron! They say they lost four Sir, but they did recover Crichton and Parker. They also report..there seems to be another one. They captured a Peacekeeper soldier. Anyway, Davis reports they'll be arriving within the arn."  
  
D.K. couldn't help but smile. Everything had worked out, everyone he cared about was finally safe.  
  
  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
The first thing he realized when he slowly drifted back to consciousness was that he had to throw up. That was followed by the terrible pain in his head and then the pain in the rest of his body. Eizak groaned slightly, finally opening his eyes only to find two people hovering over his bedside. "I think...I'm going to..hurl.."  
  
"Yes, look's like he's feeling better already", Rachel grinned down at her brother and moved out of the way as he leaned over the side of his bed and let out the contents of his stomach into a waiting container below.   
  
"Whoa, didn't even think his stomach could hold so much let alone get rid of it all." Eizak recognized the voice of his father and slowly sat back up.  
  
"Dad? What's going on..? I feel like I was just put out into space without a suit.."  
  
"Not surpassing considering you survived a run in with the dread Aurora Chair." Rachel say back down on his bedside, making sure to avoid the container on the floor.  
  
"Huh? I don't..remember. I mean, I know I was out on a mission then there was an explosion and...blank."  
  
"Don't worry, it's probably better you don't remember. Those assholes put you through a lot, it's normal for the mind to block something like that out. Maybe it's for the better." John Crichton walked back over to his sons beside and smiled. "I'm just glad your safe now. Zhaan couldn't find anything wrong with you other than a broken leg and some minor bruising."  
  
"You sure about that? I mean, feeling like this can't be normal...I feel like death warmed over."  
  
"We could have Zhaan check you again when she's finished working on the other one."  
  
"What? Who else is hurt?" Eizak noticed Rachels mood dampen slightly when he mentioned it. Something in her eyes changed and she stood back up.   
  
"I just remembered. I have to go check on something... Glad to see you're up Zak. Get some rest." Zak and his father watched silently as she left. She hadn't spoken much since she had been back. John could tell real combat had somehow changed her. It seemed everytime someone so much as mentioned the Peacekeeper they had brought back she grew more and more distant...  
  
*  
  
"You're sure? I mean, maybe the lighting of the base was playing tricks with your eyes or-"  
  
"No! I'm sure I saw her there Pop!" Kevin sighed and looked at the image of Aeryn Sun in front of them. Since seeing the Peacekeeper captain on the base, memories of a time not long ago seemed to be resurfacing. And with each one, he grew more and more certain that the person he saw on the base was the same person he had served under a mere two cycles before.   
  
Captain Parker stared at the image himself lost in thought for a moment. He remembered Aeryn as an honorable, strong, loyal person. As a friend. Never in his wildest dreams could he foresee something like this happening. Yet here his son was, telling him he had actually witnessed the same person giving orders to the Peacekeepers. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew his son would never lie about something like this. Kevin believed that it was her, he had convinced himself of that. And it was true, then God so help John never finds out...  
  
"Kevin, you have to swear not to tell another soul about this."   
  
"But, I--" Kevin looked up at his father and saw him still staring at the picture. He knew he was right, if Captain Crichton or even Rachel were to find out about this there was no telling what they would do. Kevin sighed and nodded. "I understand Sir. They won't here about it from me, I promise."   
  
D.K. touched a button on the console and the image faded. "I trust you son. I'll be reporting back to my own ship soon. If you want to talk, you know where to find me." Captain Parker turned and walked out the door, nearly bumping into Rachel as she walked in.   
  
When Kevin saw her approaching, he quickly turned. He didn't know how to face her just yet, the image of her mother ordering the young PK was too fresh in his mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her walk up beside him and stare out in front of her.   
  
"Hey..." She sounded as if she'd been crying. 'Probably over Eizak or something..'   
  
"Hey. Something on your mind..?"   
  
"Kevin. You've...been in a lot of battles right..?" That question caught him off guard. He turned his head and looked over at her curiously.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. Why do ya ask?"  
  
"How many people have you killed..?" Okay, that one _really_ caught him off guard.   
  
"I-I dunno", he shrugged, his mind remembering some of the space and land confrontations he had been in since he had joined the E.U.D.F. He had never really considered it, to him it was just part of the job. "I guess, I'd say dozens..."  
  
"...what about your first?"  
  
"My first?"  
  
"Y-your first kill. Do you remember it?"  
  
He thought back. Sure he remembered, he was only about sixteen and fresh out of training. He was on a ground resupplying mission when the group was attacked. It was literally a kill of be killed scenario, and Kevin had let his training take over. He had taken down only one, but the face of that soldier was forever burned into his mind. "Yeah...I do. What is this about death all of a sudden?" Then it hit him. The shot. The look on Rachel's face when she walked over to the young woman's body. "Oh....look, Ray, it wasn't your fault. I mean, she's not even dead yet-"  
  
"But what if she does die? I mean, if she doesn't pull through it means _I_ killed her. I pulled the trigger." Kevin could see tears forming in her eyes. Her strength had finally given out, Rachel Crichton was actually ready to break down and cry.  
  
"Ray, you did what you had to do..", he put a gentle hand on her arm. To Kevin's surprise, she shook her head and suddenly buried her face in his, letting all her emotions out. At first he didn't know what to do, he had never seen Rachel break down like this, but far be it from him to turn her away. He just put an arm around her and let her cry. Besides, it wasn't everyday Rachel Crichton opened up to him like this. It was time for all of them to stop dwelling on what could have been. Time for them to let go of past regrets.  
  
  



End file.
